DavidJPotter

In any camera view or plan view any named layer can be "on" or "off" at your choice. If you have ordered framing built, especially too early in the design, it, once built does not update as you make architectural changes, so if you then move a window or door, the framing for that wall penetration does not move until you completely rebuild framing in a new unit of time. Sometimes if you leave that layer "on" in camera views (elevation, full and other camera types) you will see the framing bleed through other layers (part of this can depend upon the quality or lack thereof, of your video card and other visual settings that can effect results. The simplest thing to do is to turn off the framing layers for general isometric views, especially if they are bleeding through other layers. I mainly use framing just for Cross Section views or plan views anyway but to each his or her own. DJP

There are some in the Library Browser under "CAD details" DJP

Thank you for the knowledge report, most people are basically honest so it is good to know in advance who is not, such persons should be shunned. DJP

Manually break (line break tool) the outer edge and wrap the corner about 6" or if all else fails a quick poly-line solid cap to the end. Either method should work. DJP

If your default settings are not set to match the 3D geometry of your intended location of the dormers then the dormer tool will not place a viable dormer. You must set your defaults (Edit- Default Settings - Dormer) in such a way that a dormer can then be created. This is well explained in the Reference Manual and Help files but must be followed by some trial and error practice to really well understand how the defaults operate and how to adjust them to your purposes. DJP

Professor Chaos, I would suggest that you make your PC hardware and Chief Build data part of your signature here, in that most of the answers you will recieve will be germane to X6 rather than earlier versions such as you have. It will help to clarify the context of answers you will receive. DJP

3D Home Architect distributed by Brouderbund for Advanced Relational Technologies and the earliest versions of Chief Architect all ran only on Windows. Where I worked we used Mac's and totally switched to PC's when we started using 3D Home Architect version 3 and then Chief Architect Version 4. DJP

Use custom walls made of one or two layers (materials) tops, that should give you the look you want. DJP

Search for it at 3D Warehouse for a useful 3-D symbol. DJP

You are correct in that it should not be doing what it is doing. In such a case, I would change it to a custom slab (If you started with a countertop that is). It might be a software driver problem with your video card but more likely it is merely a faulty 3D object, delete it and make another one or perhaps another one of a slightly different type that appears the same in camera views. DJP I just read what Dennis Gavin posted and I would sure check for that first, your image looks like just a solid railing with a default cap or rail

Build Roof Dialog - Raise off Plate input box DJP

"Wrong" is not the term I would use, rather "workable or unworkable" better apply. In such a case I would not use the winder tool setting but I would manually draw my winder steps from "Custom Landings" that do not react to the placing of walls. This method will work and is merely manual and perhaps a little slower to do. Here is a You Tube video of me creating manual winder stairs as I suggest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVRz7_C6jEQ DJP

I am not sure I understand exactly where the '4" ' is required but you can extend the thicker wall 4" or you can draw a slab to extend-fill in any gaps. I suppose you could even use a soffit, solid or other object as well, just fix it with the tools at hand. DJP

Manually in each window label tab (specify label) per window object. DJP

I recently upgraded my service, very happy! DJP

Your answsers are on page 834 and 835 in the Reference Manual (partially attached here) DJP custom materials.pdf

For roofs, I make the sheathing the same material as the roof surface to termanatedly hangle Z fighting relative to roofs, that change is made in the roof plane specification dialog - Materials Tab per roof plane. DJP

You can "Shift-Select" or group select objects after the fact and then make changes to those group-selected objects. There are several methods of group selecting objects that are described in the Reference Manual and Video Tutorials, take a look. The best method is to set all defaults before drawing the first wall but that has to be learned to be fully appreciated by new users. DJP

I found the video to be interesting. I never expect technology to be "perfect" or "infallable", that notion is silly but anyone can see that it is easier to use a Disto type device over a measuring tape and one that directly inputs to an app like Room Planner would be time saving no matter the results. I am also sure that additional mobile devices will be empowered over time. A start is a start and progress is progress as well as skepticism towards it. DJP

You can take any material and change its properties to "reflective" instead of its default settings, you can also adjust how transparent and other properties to get just the look you need and want. DJP

In terms of different line styles, what you could do is to place different stair objects on custom layers and those custom layers could then have differing line styles and colors. Also if you will remove the "Fill" that is present in stair objects by default then with no fill these would then be transparent when stacked floor to floor. One must enclose stairwells with walls, invisible or otherwise so that the ceiling of the basement stairwell can be programmed with "no ceiling above this room" on its structure tab and stairwells on other floors should be named "open below" which then allows the stair objects to be visible, floor to floor. These are not perfect solutions but are workable. DJP

You set that increment unit in "General Plan Defaults" and I change it based upon what I am bumping or moving at the moment, sometimes I set it to 1/16" and sometimes to 12" or more. I doubt that there could be a single setting that would work for "all" possible instances. DJP

You can cut out terrain using a "terrain hole" and whether or not you alter the surrounding terrain is a personal preference. The more realistic look is always more work and care to produce. DJP

Those are auto-generated invisible walls, the program by default connects "Island Rooms" to exterior walls with auto-generated invisible walls. This is necessary due to the programming and function of Chief so that rooms placed inside other "rooms" will still appear properly in camera views. Why this is so, you would have to have a Chief Architect Inc Programmer-software Architect explain but it has always been so from the beginning of the software. If you do not want to see them the "Walls, Invisible" layer can simply be turned off while in Plan View. Deleting them would cause unwanted results in terms of camera views. There is a setting in Edit - Preferences that controls whether this automatic function is on or off but it is better to leave it "on". Part of learning this software is learning why it does certain things automatically, what its limitations are and what its common tendancies are, just stay with it. DJP

Plan view is by default "Vector" in nature, whereas camera views have the choices of various render techniques. This sort of question comes up from time to time but I suggest that you make it a "suggestion" for future versions in terms of flashier, more Artistic, floor plans. It is merely not the current or past focus of this software (pretty floor plans). DJP